Modern Southern Gentleman

Making whiskey is as southern as sweet tea and college football. And like Nashville, hot chicken and Atlanta, whiskey is making a comeback. Not that it ever went anywhere but the big names like Jack Daniels and Jim Beam are being joined by a new breed of distillers. Guys like Andy and Charlie Nelson of Nelson's GreenBrier Distillery located in the Marathon neighborhood of Nashville. The two brothers discovered their triple-great grandfather Charles Nelson had started what would become one of the largest distilling operations in the South before prohibition. Hearing them tell the amazing sequence of events surrounding that discovery is worth listening to this episode. Andy and Charlie also talk about what it takes to start a distillery with no money and no experience in making whiskey. Heck, they were barely old enough to drink what they made when they started. Stop by the next time you're in Nashville and tell Andy and Charlie we said "hi". I know you'll be treated to the same southern hospitality I was.

This is a great conversation I had with Bill McDonald, recently retired Director of Sports Medicine at the University of Alabama. You'll really enjoy hearing Bill describe his journey from growing up in a small town to being responsible for keeping members of the national champion Crimson Tide football team healthy. It's a great story and along the way you're going to hear how he and former Alabama football coach Gene Stallings handled difficult situations. You can sign up for our free email newsletter at modernsoutherngentleman.com

I've been writing and speaking about being a southern gentleman for a while now and yet I've still not been able to come up with a simple, concise, definition of what a southern gentleman is. Looks like Coordinator of Officials Steve Shaw, may have done it. I asked him that question and he said "don't be a jerk". Boom! Mic drop. Steve had more to say than just this major hit of wisdom: -He describes the replay process and talks about who can stop the game for an "official review" -What he tells a coach when an "incorrect outcome" happens as the result of an official's job performance -How every SEC official held accountable for his performance It would be easy for a guy in Steve's job to be critical and overbearing but he's a better leader than that. He chooses words to get his point across and build his team up. Exactly how you would expect a southern gentleman to lead. Be sure you listen to the last 5 minutes of the interview because Steve is going to give you a secret to success that works 100% of the time. Steve was a great host and even gave me a tour of the infamous replay room at the SEC headquarters in Birmingham. Also thanks to SEC Director of Communications Chuck Dunlap for his help in arranging this interview.

If you want to irritate Dan Miller, mention the "R" word, retirement. At a time when most men have already retired, Dan is putting his foot on the gas. He has plans to make a bigger impact on the world in the next 10 years than he's made in the previous 60. That makes him a guy worth listening too. Oh and he also had a massive financial implosion the same month as his good friend Dave Ramsey. Even after selling his business, he still owed over $400,000 and that's where you get a true picture of Dan's integrity. Even though his advisors were telling him to file bankruptcy, he refused to because he owed money to friends who had trusted him and he couldn't stand the thought of breaking his word. It took a while but he paid back every cent. How's that for being a man of your word? Here's Dan's Bio: Dan is the author of the New York Times best-selling 48 Days To The Work You Love, No More Dreaded Mondays and Wisdom Meets Passion. He has been a guest on CBS’ ‘The Early Show,’ MSNBC’s ‘Hardball with Chris Mathews,’ Moody MidDay Connection, and the Dave Ramsey Show. Dan has spoken at the White House Christian Fellowship, and is in high demand at national conferences speaking on aging and changes in the workplace as well as at universities and churches. Over 130,000 people have subscribed to his weekly newsletter, his 48 Days Podcast consistently ranks in the top 3 under Careers on iTunes, and the 48Days.net business community is viewed as an example around the world for those seeking to find – or create – work they love. Book Dan to speak or check out 48 Days products at www.48Days.com. As soon as you finish listening go sign up for his weekly newsletter and subscribe to his podcast. You'll be glad you did.

Have you every wondered what it would be like to start a movement? To come up with one of those ideas that goes viral and impacts tens of thousands of lives? Robert Lewis knows what that's like. He was the catalyst behind one of the most successful men's training movements of the last 50 years called Men's Fraternity. Robert knows how to speak to and train men. The proof is at one point 1500 men were showing up at 6 am every Thursday to hear Robert. When that happens, the news spreads. After a while, there were so many requests for the content, they filmed it and made it available to anyone who wanted to use it, including prisons. This interview is not only about training men but also about leading a church. If you're pastor or church leader, you need to listen to Robert talk about leading a church as part of a team for over 30 years.

"Hillary is a crook and Trump is crude so I'm just not voting this year." If this is you, listen to this episode. It's not an overstatement to say this is the most important presidential election in the last 50 years. Why? There's one key factor and I talk about it in this episode. BTW, did you know the margin of victory in every presidential for the last 25 years was less than 10 million votes and in 2012 it was 5 million. Not a huge number out of 125 million votes cast. Please VOTE! Click for info on the Gulf Shores Shrimp Festival

Fuel, Temperature, Speedometer. What do these three have in common? They are the three critical gauges on your car's dashboard. You can assess the status of your current situation with just a quick glance at these three. Wouldn't it be great if there were a set of gauges a man could use to assess the status of his life with just a quick glance? In this episode I'm going to show you three gauges that will do just that. Segment 1 We've got a huge cultural divide in our country. Black and White. Rich and poor. Religious and Atheist. Democrat and Republican. And it's not working. So how do we fix it? Will Anderson has a great idea. He's the owner of Salem Town Board company in Nashville Tennessee. Will made the decision to start his business in a part of town where no one else wanted to go. He also decided to hire the young men of the area, pay them a decent wage and teach them a skill. But how does a single white dude in his twenties gain the respect and trust of a predominately black neighborhood? He's going to tell you and it's also how we can begin to bridge the cultural divide. Segment 2 The Modern Southern Gentleman Dashboard. The three gauges you need to keep an eye on are Cash, Clock, Calendar (thanks to Robert D. Smith for the idea). Segment 3 Sign up for the new E-newsletter on Facebook or at modernsoutherngentlman.com

What did you want to be when you were a little boy? Fireman, policeman, astronaut, pro football, major league baseball player? Second question, are you doing it? For most us the answer to the second question is "no" followed by a few unprintable words. But Wes Wyatt would have answered weatherman to the first question and a big, fat "Yes!" to the second. He's one of the metrologist at WBRC-Fox 6 in Birmingham Alabama. If you like action, doing TV weather in central Alabama is for you. Kind of like doctors who love action work in emergency rooms. Some of the deadliest storms on record have hit the area and tornado season is always an adventure. Wes is no one-trick pony. Not only is he an awesome metrologist, he's also an amazing guitar player. I wanted you to hear Wes because he's got the gentle soul we all need a dose of. If you're not in the Birmingham TV market, you can check out Wes on Facebook. Sign up for the monthly e-newsletter that starts the first Sunday in October on the website or Facebook page.

Train Wrecks Not Fender Benders That's the standard SEC football officials like Mickey Haddock, use when calling a game. They don't want to influence the outcome of a game. But player safety is still the number one priority of the guys in the striped shirts. Mickey knows what he's talking. He was on the field for over 15 years and he's in his sixth year as a replay official. You heard Mickey in episode 48 but he had so much fascinating stuff, I knew I had to come back and let your hear the rest of it. Stuff like: What a game weekend looks like The 100 minute meeting before every game The review that happens when they get back to the hotel Just like coaches and players, there's a whole lot more to being an SEC football official than just showing up on Saturdays. Thanks for spreading the word about the Modern Southern Gentleman movement. A great way to help is to leave a rating and review on iTunes. To get content that won't be on the website or Facebook, join the email list at modernsoutherngentleman.com.

Apologizing Like a Southern Gentleman Segment 1 What were you doing when you were 17? Playing ball? Chasing girls? Dreaming about owning a Porsche? Well, Keith Dunnavant was doing something a little different. He was interviewing legendary Alabama coach Paul "Bear" Bryant. Your first response to hearing that should be "What the?" Listen to Keith tell his story and he even throws in a little known fact about about Coach Bryant. Segment 2 This installment of the Modern Southern Gentleman Code is all about the importance of friends. And how to choose good ones. Segment 3 Man Skill #43. How to apologize like a southern gentleman Segment 4 Check out the Speaking tab on the website to find out how to have me speak at your event.

It's the most, most wonderful time of the year. We've survived the hell of NBA, NHL and MLB, and now we all get rewarded for our endurance with the return of the greatest game on earth: College Football! I could have done the normal podcast full of predictions, but everybody does that. Instead, I decided to take a behind-the-scenes look at major college football. So I spent the summer interviewing 4 men who have worked in it at the highest level. The goal was to see and understand just how many moving parts there are to the college football games we watch on Saturday. (I had to cut out a bunch of good content so there's a good chance I'll do another episode about mid-season) But for now here's what you'll hear in this episode: Segment 1 Florence mayor Mickey Haddock was an official with the SEC for over 15 years. He's moved to the booth as a replay official, but before that he was on the field as linesman. It's fascinating to hear Mickey break down the responsibilities of an official from before the snap, all the way through the tackle. I played football for 10 years and Mickey taught me stuff I had never heard. Segment 2 College football players are bigger, stronger and faster than ever. Which means collisions are more violent and cause more damage to the human body. That's where the sports medicine department steps in to keep the players safe and healthy through out the long season. Bill McDonald has spent his entire career doing just that. First at Georgia Tech and for over 20 years at the University of Alabama as the Director of Sports Medicine. Bill talks about the challenges of the job and the long hours required. Segment 3 Ever thought about who books the hotel rooms or charters the plane for away games? Or who's responsible for the buses being on time to get the players to the stadium? It's the director of football operations. Randy Ross holds that spot at SMU and before that he was at the University of Alabama. You're going to get tired just hearing Randy talk about all he does during a game week. Segment 4 I've always been curious to know what the coaches are saying when talking on the headsets. Dave Rader has had a lot of those conversations during his time as a Head Coach at Tulsa and later as Offensive Coordinator at several SEC schools including Alabama. He's going to clue you in and also describe a special set of plays every team has for when the game is on the line. Thanks to Mickey, Bill, Randy and Dave for their time and insight. Don't forget to subscribe and leave a rating in iTunes. Also click on "speaking" on the website to book me for your next event.

10,000 Hours

MSG 046 Robert D Smith.mp3

MSG 045 Its somebodys dream.mp3

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MSG 043 Andy Andrews.mp3

MSG 042 Inside Baseball.mp3

MSG 041 No Killer.mp3

MSG 040 Sweeet Home Alabama.mp3

MSG 039 The Modern Southern Gentleman Code.mp3